Washington, Dec. 16 (CNA) The United States is committed to helping Taiwan defend itself and is serious about that commitment, a U.S. State Department official said Tuesday when asked about the impact of a potential frigate sale to Taiwan on relations with China.

“We remain committed, helping to ensure that Taiwan retains the ability to prevent coercion and defend itself, and that is a commitment that we take very seriously. It’s an ongoing effort,” said Daniel Russel, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs.

Speaking at a conference on “Shared Challenges and Cooperation for Korea, China and the United States at the Brookings Institution,” Russel hinted that U.S.-China military exchanges would not likely be affected if President Barak Obama approved the frigate sale to Taiwan.

On Dec. 10, the U.S. House of Representatives followed the Senate in passing a bill that authorizes the sale of four Perry-class frigates to Taiwan, and it will now go to the White House for the American president to sign into law.

Russel said the quality of the dialogue the U.S. maintains with China, including the dialogue between the defense establishment and the PLA and the dialogue “between our leaders,” has been a critical element in ensuring there’s “no misunderstandings and no misapprehensions about U.S. actions and intentions.”

On that basis, he said, he was confident that U.S.-China dialogue and military cooperation will continue “on a very steady path.”

Russel stressed that the United States under the Obama administration is following the same policy as previous administrations since the normalization of ties between Beijing and Washington.

“We have a one China policy. We have a one-China policy based on our three joint communiqués,” he said.

He also pointed to Washington’s important unofficial relations with Taipei, guided by the one-China policy and the Taiwan Relations Act.

It was in that context, he said, that the U.S. is committed to helping Taiwan defend itself.

Russel said the world has witnessed significant progress after five years of cross-strait dialogue and agreements, which he said is something “we all value and welcome.”

“Our policies and our goals aim at enhancing the stability across the straits and in the region,” he said.

Taipei, Dec. 11 (CNA) EVA Air, Taiwan’s second-largest airline, said Thursday that Singapore Airlines will codeshare its flights to the United States and Canada from Friday as a result of an expanded codeshare agreement between the two carriers.

Singapore Airlines passengers will as of Friday be able to fly to Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York as well Toronto and Vancouver in Canada through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, according to EVA Air.

Friday will also mark the first anniversary of the start of codeshare operations between the two companies, both Star Alliance partners, on flights between Singapore and Taipei.

Singapore Airlines currently operates 14 weekly flights on the route, while EVA Air operates 7.

“Our growing partnership with EVA Air is another example of our efforts to leverage the Star Alliance to expand our network reach and to offer customers travelling to and from North America even more choice and convenience,” said Lee Wen Fen, Singapore Airlines senior vice president of marketing planning.

Taipei, Dec. 9 (CNA) U.S. arms sales to Taiwan play an important role in Taiwan’s defense in the face of the military threat from China, a Taiwanese defense official said Tuesday, in response to a protest by China against a U.S. bill on sale of military frigates to Taiwan.

In line with the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) and the Six Assurances, U.S. arms sales to Taiwan help maintain peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific, said Maj. Gen. Luo Shou-he, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense.

The goal of the weapons procurement is to bolster Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities, not to engage in a military buildup race against China, he said when asked by the local media to comment on the issue.

Noting that Beijing has not renounced the use of force against Taiwan, Luo said U.S. arms sales to Taiwan are important and necessary.

China a day earlier urged the U.S. to block the bill related to the sale of military frigates to Taiwan, saying that arms sales to Taiwan interfere in China’s internal affairs and that China is firmly opposed to the bill.

China’s protest came after the U.S. Senate approved a bill last week authorizing the sale of four Perry-class frigates to Taiwan, a transfer expected to enhance Taiwan’s defense capability by replacing its aging fleet of Knox-class frigates.

After the two houses of U.S. Congress reach a consensus on the bill, it will be sent to the White House for President Barack Obama to sign into law, said Kelly Hsieh, director-general of the Department of North American Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

At a separate news conference earlier Tuesday, Hsieh said that “we believe the U.S. Congress and the U.S. government will adhere to the TRA.”

The TRA was enacted in 1979 to maintain commercial, cultural and other relations between the U.S. and Taiwan after Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing. The TRA also requires the U.S. “to provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character.”

In 1982, then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan offered Taiwan six assurances, which included that the U.S. will not set a date for termination of arms sales to Taiwan; will not alter the terms of the TRA; and will not consult with China in advance before making decisions about U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.